State Legislation
Sponsored Legislation
AB 705: Ensuring Assessment Equity at Community Colleges
Author: Assemblymember Irwin
Status: Senate Education
Placement is destiny. A single test should not determine a student’s destiny. Yet, each year over 75% of students learn that they have assessed as not college ready and must enroll in at least one remedial course. Among community college students placed into remediation, only 4 in 10 will go on to complete a degree, certificate, or transfer in six years compared to 70% success rates for students allowed to enroll directly into college level courses.
AB 705 will help more students have access to college-level courses when they first enter a community college and ensure they succeed in completing a degree, certificate or transfer. Specifically, this bill requires colleges to use high school performance in the placement of students into math and English courses, in order to maximize the probability that the student will enter and complete transfer-level coursework in English and mathematics within a one-year timeframe.
Download the sample letter of support
How a Little-Known Standardized Test Harms Community College Students
Panel endorses bill aimed at reducing number of college students in remedial classes
AB 847: Academic senates: membership
Author: Assemblymember Bocanegra
Status: Held by Author in Senate Education Committee
Diverse faculty and leadership at California’s public colleges and universities is critical to understanding and therefore meeting the needs of our increasingly diverse student body. Having a clear picture of the diversity in leadership, or lack thereof, across our systems is the first step in ensuring that leadership is reflective and responsive to the students it serves. Although data on the diversity of faculty and college presidents is readily available, little information is available on the diversity of members of faculty academic senates who have substantial influence over curriculum development, admission policies, state policy implementation and faculty hiring.
AB 847 will help provide a more complete picture of leadership diversity at colleges and universities by ensuring access to information on the representation of academic senates.
Supported Legislation
SB 539: The Community College Student Achievement Program
Author: Senators de León and Portantino
Status: Assembly Higher Education
Community colleges are the gateway to opportunity for the majority of students across the state and a critical piece in the state’s ability to meet its projected workforce gap. Yet, most community colleges aren’t designed for students and as a result, less than half will complete a degree or transfer within six years. SB 539 removes barriers to student success by creating clearer, more structured pathways known as “guided pathways.” The guided pathways model is a comprehensive redesign of the way community colleges serve students, from initial contact to completion, that when done well, can dramatically improve student outcomes.
SB 539 also recognizes the importance of financial aid to a student’s ability to stay on track and take the necessary units to complete a degree, certificate or transfer and establishes the Community College Completion Incentive Grant. This grant will provide an additional $4,000 in financial aid to community colleges students receiving the existing Full-Time Student Success Grant, if they complete 15 units.
AB 204: Community colleges: waiver of enrollment fees
Author: Assemblymember Medina
Status: Senate Education Committee
AB 204 improves the appeals process for California Community College students who lose their Board of Governors (BOG) Fee Waiver under new academic qualification standards.
AB 394: California State University: assessment and course placement of admitted students
Author: Assemblymember Medina
Status: Senate Education Committee
AB 394 will help more students successfully complete and reduce time-to-degree by requiring the California State University to implement additional measures for the assessment and course placement of students.
Previously Sponsored and Supported
2016 Legislation
AB 1741: California Promise Innovation Grant
Author: Assembly Member Rodriguez
Status: Signed by Governor
Campaign Position: Support
Builds off of investments made in the 2016 State Budget Act to establish the California College Promise Innovation Grant Program which will help develop and strengthen regional college partnership programs across the state.
AB 801: Homeless Youth Success in Higher Education Act
Author: Assembly Member Bloom
Status: Signed by Governor
Campaign Position: Support
This bill qualifies homeless youth to receive the same priority enrollment given to foster youth in state universities and community colleges. It requires the designation of a single point of contact to assist homeless and foster youth to access and complete higher education. Additionally, it requires schools to post public notice about financial and other assistance available to homeless and foster youth. It adds homeless youth to required training elements of the Community College Student Financial Aid Outreach Program and gives homeless youth eligibility to serve under the Student Opportunity and Access Program. The bill also adds homeless youth who meet minimum academic requirements to the populations exempt from community college fees.
SB 906: Priority Enrollment Systems
Author: Senator Beall
Status: Signed by Governor
Campaign Position: Support
Promotes college attainment for foster youth, low-income students and students with disabilities by ensuring priority registration remains available for these students.
SB 1050: Postsecondary Education: College Readiness
Author: Senator de León & Hernandez
Status: Passed in 2016 State Budget Act
Campaign Position: Support
Establishes a stronger pipeline from high school – particularly for those schools that enroll 75% or more low-income, English learner, and foster youth – to college by increasing the number of students prepared and eligible for admission to a four-year university while ensuring more qualified California high school students find their rightful spot at a UC campus.
AB 1721: Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program
Author: Assemblymember Medina
Status: Held in Senate Appropriations
Campaign Position: Support
Expands financial support for community college students to help them pay for the real cost of college – costs beyond tuition that comprise the bulk of college costs for students. Specifically, this bill increases the number of competitive Cal Grants from 25,750 to 30,000; increases the Cal Grant B Access Award from $1,656 to $3,000; and increases the age limit to qualify for the transfer entitlement to 31 years and permit students who have taken more than a year off from school after graduating from community college to qualify.
AB 2822: Emergency Financial Assistance
Author: Assembly Member Chiu
Status: Held by Author
Campaign Position: Support
Will provide guidance and support to community college districts and campuses who wish to establish emergency aid programs. Programs will help students continue to pursue their educational goals through unforeseen financial emergencies by sustaining students with emergency grants.
AB 1837: Postsecondary education: Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability (OHEPA)
Author: Assemblymember Low and Eggman
Status: Held in Senate Appropriations
Campaign Position: Support
Establishes the Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability (OHEPA) to provide statewide postsecondary education planning and coordination.
AB 2137: University of California – Student Transfers
Author: Assembly Member Santiago
Status: Signed by Governor
Campaign Position: Support
Requires the UC to report on California Community College students’ transfers to the UC, including information related to Associate Degree for Transfer earners seeking to transfer to and graduating from the UC.
AB 2329: Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan
Author: Assembly Member Bonilla
Status: Signed by Governor
Campaign Position: Support
Establishes a computer science advisory panel to develop recommendations for how California should expand computer science education and ensure its accessibility to all students in the state.
